Vortex plate for a through-fireplace

ABSTRACT

A pair of plates are positioned within the through-fireplace at the middle of the hearth so as to obstruct circular motion of the heated air and maintain a preponderance of upward flow of the heated air. The plates each project into the fireplace chamber a distance of from about 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of the chamber while extending over the height of the chamber. The upper sections of the plate may also be of increased width.

United States Patent 11 1 Illing v VORTEX PLATE FOR A THROUGH-FIREPLACE [75] Inventor: Henry Illing, Parksville, NY.

[73] Assignee: Henry Illing, Parksville, NY.

22 Filed: on. 19, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 299,127

52 us. (:1. 126/125 511 1111.01 ..F24b 1/28 [58] Field of Search 126/120, 121, 125

I [56] References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTs 526,780 10/1894 Grindrod 126/125 FOREIGN PATENTS oR APPLICATIONS 243,241 11/1925 Great Britain 126/125 1451 Apr. 16, 1974 Primary ExaminerMeyer Perlin Assistant Examiner-Ronald C. Capossela Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin ABSTRACT A pair of plates are positioned within the throughfireplacc at the middle of the hearth so as to obstruct circular motion of the heated air'and maintain a preponderance of upward flow of the heated air. The plates each project into the fireplace chamber a distance of from about 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of the chamber while extending over the height of the chamber. The upper sections of the plate may also be of increased width.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1. VORTEX PLATE FOR A THROUGH-FIREPLACE This invention relates to a through fireplace. More particularly, this invention relates to a vortex plate for controlling air flow within a through-fireplace.

In recent years, wide use has been made of throughfireplaces in residential and commercial buildings. Generally, these fireplaces have been constructed so that at least two openings are made into a fireplace chamber from opposite sides of a hearth, such as from two rooms or living areas positioned on opposite sides of the fireplace. In many cases, these fireplaces have been attractive from the standpoint of giving the equivalent of two fireplaces for the price of one as well as offering the asthetic effects and warmth of a single fire to two living areas. However, in many cases, a smoking problem has been attendant with the known throughfireplaces. This problem has resulted in the escape of objectionable quantitiesof smoke into one or the other of the rooms between which the fireplace is located. Even with properly sized rooms, smoke domes, front openings and depth, this condition has persisted.

In order to overcome this problem, use has been made of tempered glass doors on one or both sides of the fireplace chamber. Although this eliminates the smoke, the doors detract greatly from the very desireable radiant glow ofa fire within the fireplace chamber. In addition, a glass door has a high initial cost and requires an inordinant amount of cleaning to maintain the transparency of the glass.

The basic cause of smoke emission from an opening of a through-fireplace has been found to be attributable to the generation of a vortex by action of the Coriolis effect as well as other velocity components of the opposing flows of air entering the two openings of the fireplace. The Coriolis effect is the phenomena that causes circular rotation of air masses in cyclones. hurricanes, typhoons and tornados and which is believed to be brought about by the rotation of the earth pursuant to the laws of conservation of momentum. For example, low pressure areas in the Northern Hemisphere produce counterclockwise rotation while clockwise rotation occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. In the case of a through-fireplace, the vortex is generated by inward flow towards a low pressure area. Further, in a small mass air system that surrounds a through-fireplace, random air currents as well as the Coriolis effect initiate or trigger the vortex and once air rotation begins, the rotation continues in the same way-that water whirls when going down a drain. As a result of this vortex or swirling action, smoke is delivered to the upper corners and lintel area of the fireplace chamber and from there the smoke escapes into the adjoining rooms.

Accordingly. it is an object of the invention to obstruct the between ofa vortex within a throughfireplace.

It is another object of the invention to maintain a preponderance of vertical air flow rather than a circular or horizontal flow of airwithin a through-fireplace.

It is another object of the invention to efficiently isolate the rooms on opposite sides of a through-fireplace from each other. I

It is another object of the invention to increase the thermal efficiency of a through-fireplace.

Briefly, the invention provides a through-fireplace having a fireplace chamber positioned betewen two rooms or living areas with a means disposed in the middie of the fireplace chamber for directing a preponderance of the flows of air entering the chamber into an upward direction directly to a flue without imparting a swirling motion to the air. This means is in the form, for example, of a pair of plates which project transversely into the fireplace chamber from the vertical sidewalls of the chamber. Each plate is sized to be of a height equal to the height of one of the fireplace openings and of a width of 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of an opening. In addition, each plate can be formed with different sized sections, for example, with a lower section of a height of 0.50 to 0.67 times the height of the fireplace opening and an upper section of greater width than the lower section. This upper section can form an enclosed angle with the lower section which falls in the range of from 90 to 180.

By positioning the plates in the middle of the fireplace chamber, the influent air flows into the fireplace chamber are deflected in the area of the plates and biased in an upward direction. The air flow is thus prevented from moving in a whirling or vortex pattern under the Coriolis effect. I

Also, regardless of the cause of the vortex, the plates turn the cross-flows of air inward, thus, breaking up any rotation of the air flows.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional plan view of a through-fireplace chamber according to the prior art in which a vortex of air flow is formed during use;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional plan view of a prior art through-fireplace showing influent air flow patterns as such would exist without the Coriolis effect or random disturbances; 4

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional plan view of a through-fireplace in which vortex plates are mounted in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective viewof a throughfireplace having vortex plates mounted therein according to the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an elevational view of a pair of vortex plates according to the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an elevational view of another embodiment of the vortex plates according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the through-fireplace l0 ispositioned within a wall 11 between two living areas or rooms (not shown). The fireplace 10 has a fireplace chamber 12 defined by a hearth 13 which extends across and defines the bottom of the chamber 12, a pair of side walls 14 and a smoke dome 15 in the ceiling of the fireplace chamber 12. The smoke dome 15, in turn, communicates through a flue 16 with a chimney (not shown) in any suitable manner. Inaddition, an opening I is provided on opposite sides of the fireplace chamber 12 to. communicate with each of the living areas while a lintel 17 is disposed above each opening as is known.

.The fireplace 10 is of generally conventional structure and therefore no further description is believed to be necessary. For example, the smoke dome 15 is provided with a damper (not shown) and a down draft (not shown) of known construction and can be made of shelf masonary or prefabricated steel. As shown, the walls of the fireplace can be made of brick or other suitable materials up to the ceilingline.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a conventional fireplace 20 constructed in a similar manner to that described above, during use, the influent air flows 21 which enter the fireplace chamber 22 through the respective openings generate'a vortex or swirling motion of air within the chamber 22 due to the Coriolis effect as well as random air currents from the surrounding air system. This swirling of air also carries the smoke generated during the burning eg of a stack of wood in the same pattern. As a result, as the smoke and air rise, portions are deflected or thrown out of the respective openings of the fireplace 20 into the adjacent areas, as indicated by the arrows 23.

Referring to FIG. 2, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts as above, in the absence of the Coriolis effect or random disturbances, the influent air flow patterns 21 would be substantially as shown. That is, the air would move through the openings substantially in a horizontal plane and thereafter would be directed vertically up through the smoke dome (not shown) in the flue (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 4, the fireplace is provided with a pair of vortex or baffle plates 24 at the middle of the hearth 13 which are made of metal or other noncombustible sheet material. These plates 24 each project transversely into the fireplace chamber 12 from the side walls 14 towards each in spaced apart relation. As shown in FIG. 3, the vortex plates 24 are positioned to bias and deflect the influent air flows 25 in a manner so as to break up any whirling or vortex pattern of air and smoke. The respective plates 24 serve to direct the substantially horizontal influent air flows 25 into a vertical path for emission out of the smoke dome and flue 16.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the vortex plates 24 are mounted in any suitable fashion within the fireplace 10. For example, as shown, each plate 24 is mounted by a pair of suitable brackets 26 as by bolting or welding to the sidewalls 14 of the fireplace 10.

In order to add to the rigidity of the vortex plates, the plates can be connected together at the topmost parts by a horizontal connecting member (not shown) as by bolts or welding.

Referring to FIG. 5, each plate 24 is of a height H equal to the height of an opening into the fireplace chamber from the hearth 13 to the plane of the lintel, i.e. immediately below the smoke dome 15. In addition, each plate 24 has a lower section of a constant width W and an upper section of constantly increasing width. For example, the lower section is of a width W of from 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of a fireplace opening and of a height h of from 0.50 to 0.67 times the height of the opening. The remaining upper section increases at a rate so as to define an angle a with the horizontal of from 0 to 90. That is. the upper section forms an enclosed angle with the vertical edge of the lower section of from 90 to l80. As shown, the upper section forms an angle a of 45 with the horizontal.

Referring to FIG. 6, each vortex plate 24' can also be of constant width W over the entire height H. In this case, the width W is constant in the range of 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of an opening to the fireplace chamber 12.

The positioning of the vortex plate 24 in the fireplace 10 also provides a curtin effect between the opposite sides of the fireplace chamber 12 to enhance the isolation of the two living areas disposed on the opposite sides of the fireplace 10 from each other. In addition, the plates increase the thermal efficiency of the fireplace due to the dark body radiation from the heated plates during use.

The invention thus provides a means of efficiently obstructing the circular motion which would otherwise occur in a fireplace of through construction. This means can be simply constructed in the form of vortex plates which function as straightening vanes to maintain a preponderance of air flow in a vertical flow pattern rather than a circular or horizontal flow.

The invention further provides means of simple construction which can be installed within existing through-fireplaces with relative ease to substantially eliminate swirling of air and smoke within the fireplace chambers during use.

Also, the vortex plates are made so as to act as dark radiation bodies so that dark body radiation occurs when the plates become heated due to a fire. This increases the thermal efficiency of the fireplace.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a through-fireplace having a hearth, a fireplace chamber above said hearth, a flue disposed above said chamber and a pair of openings, each opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber above said hearth and being of a determined height and width; a pair of plates mounted transversely within said chamber in the middle of said hearth and projecting towards each other in spaced apart relation for directing a flow of air passing into said chamber through each opening directly upwardly into said flue.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said plate is of a height equal to said determined height of said openings.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said plate is made of non-combustible material.

4. In combination with a through-fireplace having a fireplace chamber, a pair of openings communicating with said chamber for passage of a respective flow of air into said chamber, each said opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber and a flue above said chamber for passage of a heated flow of air from said chamber; means disposed in the middle of said chamber for directing a preponderance of the respective flows of air entering said chamber into an upward direction directly into said flue, said means including a pair of plates projecting towards each other in spaced apart relation transversely within said chamber.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means are dark radiation bodies.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein each said plate is of a height equal to the height of one of said openings.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein said plates are made of metal.

8. In combination with a through-fireplace having a hearth, a fireplace chamber above said hearth, a flue disposed above said chamber and a pair of openings, each opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber above said hearth and being of a determined height and width; a pair of plates mounted transversely within said chamber in the middle of said hearth for directing a flow of air passing into said chamber through each opening directly upwardly into said flue, each said plate being of a height equal to said determined height of said openings and having a lower section of a constant width equal to from 0.20 to 0.25 times said determined width of said openings and of a height equal to 0.50 to 0.67 times said determined height of said openings, and an upper section of increased width from said lower section.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein said upper section forms an enclosed angle with said lower section of from 90 to 180.

10. In combination with a through-fireplace having a fireplace chamber, a pair of openings communicating with said chamber for passage of a respective flow of air into said chamber, each said opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber and a flue above said chamber for passage of a heated flow of air from said chamber; means disposed in the middle of said chamber for directing a preponderance of the respective flows of air entering said chamber into an upward direction directly into said flue, said means including a pair of plates projecting transversely into said chamber, each said plate being of a height equal to the height of one of said openings, and of a width of 0.20 to 0.25 times the Width of one of said openings.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein said plate has a lower section ofa height of 0.50 to 0.75 times said height of said one opening and an upper section of greater width than said lower section. 

1. In combination with a through-fireplace having a hearth, a fireplace chamber above said hearth, a flue disposed above said chamber and a pair of openings, each opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber above said hearth and being of a determined height and width; a pair of plates mounted transversely within said chamber in the middle of said hearth and projecting towards each other in spaced apart relation for directing a flow of air passing into said chamber through each opening directly upwardly into said flue.
 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said plate is of a height equal to said determined height of said openings.
 3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said plate is made of non-combustible material.
 4. In combination with a through-fireplace having a fireplace chamber, a pair of openings communicating with said chamber for passage of a respective flow of air into said chamber, each said opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber and a flue above said chamber for passage of a heated flow of air from said chamber; means disposed in the middle of said chamber for directing a preponderance of the respective flows of air entering said chamber into an upward direction directly into said flue, said means including a pair of plates projecting towards each other in spaced apart relation transversely within said chamber.
 5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means are dark radiation bodies.
 6. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein each said plate is of a height equal to the height of one of said openings.
 7. The combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein said plates are made of metal.
 8. In combination with a through-fireplace having a hearth, a fireplace chamber above said hearth, a flue disposed above said chamber and a pair of openings, each opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber above said hearth and being of a determined height and width; a pair of plates mounted transversely within said chamber in the middle of said hearth for directing a flow of air passing into said chamber through each opening directly upwardly into said flue, each said plate being of a height equal to said determined height of said openings and having a lower section of a constant width equal to from 0.20 to 0.25 times said determined width of said openings and of a height equal to 0.50 to 0.67 times said determined height of said openings, and an upper section of increased width from said lower section.
 9. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein said upper section forms an enclosed angle with said lower section of from 90* to 180*.
 10. In combination with a through-fireplace having a fireplace chamber, a pair of openings communicating with said chamber for passage of a respective flow of air into said chamber, each said opening being disposed on an opposite side of said chamber and a flue above said chamber for passage of a heated flow of air from said chamber; means disposed in the middle of said chamber for directing a preponderance of the respective flows of air entering said chamber into an upward direction directly into said flue, said means including a pair of plates projecting transversely into said chamber, each said plate being of a height equal to the height of one of said openings, and of a width of 0.20 to 0.25 times the width of one of said openings.
 11. The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein said plate has a lower section of a height of 0.50 to 0.75 times said height of said one opening and an upper section of greater width than said lower section. 